A Gentle Rending
by ChristyCat
Summary: Always fearless, Lois finds herself in unfamiliar territory…
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** A Gentle Rending  
**Category:** TV-verse/Smallville  
**Prompt:** #12/Truth  
**Pairing/Characters:** Clark/Lois  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 1122  
**Summary:** Always fearless, Lois finds herself in unfamiliar territory..  
**Spoilers:** Bride  
**Author's Notes:** If memory serves, this is my first Smallville fic :) What can I say, this scene always gets me.

**Gentle Rending  
**

The sultry strains of a lone saxophone swirled through the air, riding on the tiny pinpricks or light that danced over every surface in the room.

Her eyes met his for a second and yet for an eternity. The moment seemed perfectly orchestrated for maximum torment on her already aching heart.

In the soft glow of candlelight a sparkle winked at her from the depths of his eyes and in the moment she longed so much to be held by him she could hardly stand it.

Her greatest fear, the reason she avoided affairs like this and holed up in her apartment on Valentine's Day. For all its seduction, it was a chocolate covered bear trap, designed to ensnare and maim the trusting hearts of the hopeful.

With a shaky breath she lowered her gaze, her only salvation was to retreat from this idyllic setting, this perfect moment, and find comfort in the bottom of a bottle of champagne or anything else in the immediate vicinity with a lot of alcohol.

"Guess I can give these well-heeled puppies a rest..." she breathed over the lump growing in her throat and fixed her gaze on the door. She figured she only needed about five strides and she would be in the cool night air and free from the tangled web of daydream that seemed to be draping themselves around her.

Her heels clacked along the floor, sure of their goal. She hid her eyes behind her lashes as she brushed past him. She was too full of emotion to say anymore and she prayed he didn't volley a teasing remark in her direction. Opposite to her nature, she found herself near weeping and vulnerable... and she didn't like it one bit.

In every other area of life when the instinctual moment of fight or flight appeared, Lois Lane always ended up fighting. She'd found herself in more than her fair share of tussles with men and women a like. If there was one thing she would never be, it was weak.

But when it came to Clark Kent, her heart became as fragile as spun glass. He had a way of destroying her carefully constructed walls and the faster she tried to build them, he would smile or look at her the way he was looking at her now and she found herself exposed and unprotected from the way he moved her.

So in this moment, with the romance of it all so tangible, all it needed was an angelic chorus, Lois' instincts told her one thing.

Run.

It was then she felt the warmth of his hand close around hers, stopping her just a foot short of the door to the barn and freedom.

She whirled around to face him, wanting to pull her hand away, but the look in his eyes coaxed her out from behind her wall, whispering a promise of something better.

Lois relented, stepping into the circle of his arms, her body was stiff, every muscle trembling in terror. She had never been one to make fanciful dreams of knights in shining armor on white steeds. She had given her heart sparingly and always with reservation. But with Clark, he wielded something so much more powerful than a sword. He had the ability to either rescue her, or completely destroy her, all with a whispered word.

His arm encircled her waist and he pulled her closer. She could feel his breath, gently caressing along her cheek, causing a shiver to tingle across her spine. He smelled like soap and aftershave, crisp and clean and unpretentious. The metal of his cufflink was cool against her wrist, the smooth surface of the gold brushing against her pulse point. It quickened at a flash of memory, hours before when she'd been this close to him once again-

"Ooof!"

A faceless guest emerged from the crowd and bumped against her back, sending her sprawling. When she would have fallen, his hands were gentle and steady, keeping her in place.

Lois exhaled, this would be a good time to bow out. One feigned turn of the ankle and she would be scott-free...

But then she looked at him.

Clark stood mere inches away from her, with an expression on his face she'd never seen before. It lit up his eyes in dawning realization, and he lowered his gaze momentarily as if to brush away the ember of her hope.

Then, all at once, his eyes returned to hers, steadily and surely. His hand still resting gently on her elbow as if he were afraid she would run away, and in that moment, she couldn't say he was entirely off-base.

Lois' heart trembled within her chest as his eyes fluttered down to her lips and then lifted to hers, a question in their cobalt depths. This question had been asked before in a place much more dangerous than this one, but the answer that came now, could not be explained away by an ancient and failing lie detector.

She stood on the edge of a cliff, and he was asking her to leap into the abyss, trusting him not to let her be dashed upon the rocks below. Lois took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and extended her hand...

And jumped.

Her fingers slid over the expensive cloth of his tux, feeling his heartbeat beneath their tips. The pulse rose to meet her just as fast and afraid as her own.

Lois lifted her eyes once again, daring one tiny step forward and he matched her bravery with a step of his own. His lips held the barest hint of a smile, inviting her closer.

_Are you sure? _she inquired silently, her eyebrows jumping unsurely.

The smile melted from his face and was replaced by a new emotion: intent. His hand left her arm and slid across the exposed skin of her back and as the music swelled around him, she leaped from the cliff's edge and tilted her face to receive his kiss.

His breath warmed her lips. His chest pressed lightly against her own. Happily ever after seemed to open its arms to her and then...

"No way!" came her cousin's voice from the edge of oblivion.

The entwined pair turned as one to see a ghost from the past step out of the shadows and into the light.

Lois, in midair looked at Clark and reached out, knowing he would save her, only to find his attention on the newest addition to the room.

The music stopped suddenly. Silence was a stark contrast to the siren song that had just been calling to her.

Lois backed away and closed her eyes...

and waited for the impact of the rocks below...


	2. Author Note

'Gentle Rending' was my first Smallville fic and I didn't really have plans to write another. But so many of you have been so lovely and asking for another one.

I had a dream with a plot read-built! So keep your eyes peeled! I'll be writing another one in the near future.

So I guess this is just a heads up note and a sincrere thank you for being interested :)

Christy


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